Gaelic Weather Play Tours Highland Schools

A second tour of Fèisean nan Gàidheal’s Gaelic language play ‘Seirm na Sìde’ will begin on Monday 3rd September visiting Gaelic medium primary schools and nurseries in the Highland Council region. Suitable for young children of nursery and lower primary age, the two characters in the play, Hùb and Hàb, introduce the audience to various features of the weather and the colours of the rainbow using Gaelic song and puppetry.

The ten-day tour, which features as part of the Blas music festival’s Schools and Communities Programme, will run until Friday 14th September and visit schools and nurseries in Thurso, Tain, Ullapool, Dingwall, Gairloch, Plockton, Dunvegan, Portree, Staffin, Broadford, Sleat, Nairn, Inverness, Drumnadrochit, Newtonmore, Mallaig, Acharacle and Caol. The tour also includes a visit to Gilcomstoun Primary in Aberdeen.

Although most of the performances will be for children receiving Gaelic medium education, a number of schools with pupils learning Gaelic as an additional language will also have the opportunity to see the show.

The play features actors Anna MacDonald (Hùb) and Catriona Nicolson (Hàb). Anna is from Tiree and is a singer and clarsach player. Catriona Nicolson is from Inverness and has acted in a number of Fèisean nan Gàidheal’s theatre productions for schools including the Gaelic pantomime Marsaili agus a’ Bhleideag Airgid (Marsaili and the Silver Snowflake). The play showcases the singing talents of both performers.

‘Seirm na Sìde’ was written and directed by Fèisean nan Gàidheal’s Drama Officer, Angus Macleod, with musical direction from Eilidh Mackenzie, Fèisgoil Manager. Together they developed original songs and music for the play. The weather-themed costumes were produced by Laura Cowie.

The Hùb Hàb early years years theatre-in-education project is delivered through Fèisean nan Gàidheal’s Fèisgoil education service and made possible by funding received from Bòrd na Gàidhlig and Creative Scotland.

The tour follows on from on the inital tour of the Central Belt, Perthshire and Argyll in May and builds on the success of Hùb Hàb: Cumaidhean Ceòlmhor (Musical Shapes) which toured the country in 2017 and ‘Hùb Hàb air Ghleus’ (Hùb Hàb In Tune) in 2016.

For more information about Hùb Hàb or any of Fèisean nan Gàidheal’s other drama projects contact Angus Macleod on 01463 225 559 or angus@feisean.org